What to Eat

I give Marion Nestle's WHAT TO EAT the highest rating because it is a necessary reference book -- one that should as much nestle (if you'll forgive the pun) between cookbooks on your kitchen bookshelf as a dictionary does between novels in your den or library's bookshelves. Although you could march through its 600-plus pages chronologically, it is wiser to use the table of contents to choose topics of special interest to you. For instance, I skipped the chapter on margarine because I do not eat it and never have, and thus do not need to know about its questionable ingredients or health hazards. If you, however, have switched from butter for health reasons, you should educate yourself on the fire now that you've leaped out of the frying pan. Fearlessly, Nestle wades into the claims and counterclaims, the health benefits and the health hazards, the truths and the half-truths of fruits and vegetables, dairy products, cereals and breads, meat and seafood, snack food and yes, even bottled water. It gets confusing when you read labels and see such murky terms as "natural" which sound good but mean many things to many packagers. Best of all, the book explains the politics of food -- how powerful lobbying groups ensure that their profits take precedence over your health via their strong control over both politicians and, more disturbingly, the very government organizations (such as the FDA and the USDA) responsible for protecting us, the consumers. Though not as engaging as Michael Pollan's seminal book THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA, Nestle's WHAT TO EAT deserves its spot in every foodie's library. If you're worried about what you're putting in your (and your kids') mouth, you should be. Arm yourself with knowledge. Speak the language (often the "doublespeak") of Big Food. Promote healthier practices in the food and agriculture business by voting with your food dollars (chiefly for organic and local foods which, with enough support, will come down in price). Sadly, money is the only language giant food corporations understand. Protests about the dangers of their practices and ingredients -- unless it affects their precious bottom lines -- will forever fall on deaf ears.

This book is filled with amazing information for people interested in what to eat, especially the section dealing with oils, which is more in-depth than in any other book I've read. I've read a TON of books about food, the food industry, industrial farming, pastured meat, vegetarianism, animal rights, sustainable agriculture. Marion Nestle is one of the leading experts in the industry and this book is extremely valuable in terms of detailed information about things like hydrogenation, processing, and food politics (though I would recommend for a more in-depth look at politics, read her other book Food Politics). The one problem I had with this book is that it spent all of a paragraph on pastured meat; Nestle chooses organic over pastured and I find that questionable. The book is a few years old so maybe it is simply lacking in information that has only recently been made accessible, but I expect more from her than telling everyone that organic everything is better; countless others have demonstrated that often organically raised animals are hardly better treated than industrially farmed animals, so if you are buying organic chicken, organic pork, organic beef, realize that though the organic certification has merit (especially in terms of fruit and vegetables), you might be surprised to see organic chickens living in the same cramped conditions as Perdue chickens. They are only slightly better some of the time and to me it's not worth the chance. Further, Nestle fails to mention an important point: much of farm stand food is grown organically; but for a farmer, organic certification can be prohibitively expensive. Local food is very often organic, but unlabeled, contributing further to the nebulous conditions under which our food is grown. As I said this is a great book and a must-read but I would suggest supplements: Fast Food Nation, The Omnivore's Dilemma, Peter Singer and Jim Mason's book "The Ethics of What We Eat." Those are probably my top three choices. If you've already been through those and want more detailed information, this is a great book, but there are a lot of perspectives on food and despite Nestle's expertise on the subject, it does not seem that buying food with an organic stamp solves all ethical dilemmas for today's consumer.

I've been a vegan for a few years now for ethical reasons, and most of my food-related reading until this book has been fairly technical, focusing on getting the right nutrients and balancing my diet appropriately. This book is not that. Instead, it's a fascinating depiction of what food is today in the US: it explains what organic means, why most fish is mislabeled and polluted, what difference whole grains make, how to decipher ingredient lists and nutrition facts labels, how advertising teaches kid to request specific foods and brands from their parents at the supermarket, how calories work, etc. Some examples: - in some NY state rivers, mercury levels in fishes are so high that a single fish is enough to exceed your monthly mercury levels. - Some corn syrup doesn't qualify as sugar (and doesn't have to be listed as 'sugar'), but your body digests it just the same - In the early 2000s, some large veggie producers tried to get sewage sludge allowed on organic crops to weaken the organic standard. It takes about three or four 2-hours sittings to go through the book.

I really enjoyed this book. I am an avid reader/listener about all things food and it was good for me to get back to what science is saying as opposed to the fads and fancies that pop up all the time which as Nestle so resoundlingly argues, usually have no science and a lot of food industry backing behind them. There has been a big push to forget about the medical warnings relating to fats and cholesterol in the last five or so years. This book makes me very cautious about that. I am sure that a nutritionist of Nestle's stature would be sure to preface a new edition with corrections if there was convincing science behind those ideas. I made my living as a researcher (albiet in another field) and the intricacies of the research studies and the political and industry spin put on results are very familiar to me and I know what she is talking about. So I would tell anyone confused by all the stuff about food out there, read this sensible book and follow the sensible, non-hysterical but careful approach Marion Nestle describes for us.

I read a lot about nutrition in as many different reliable sources as I can. This book has a lot of good solid information for readers who don't already know much about food and food politics. The book is much too long winded for what it has to say, and although the writing is studiously correct, it is not compelling. Nestle is not a good storyteller, in other words. I expected Nestle's methods to be more scientific, but most of her investigation involves visiting supermarkets close to her home and talking to employees. When she attaches dates to her information, it is invariably from 2000-2005, more than a decade old. A lot of nutritional science has taken place in that decade. Her advice for eating is standard and not surprising. If you follow Marian Burros in the New York Times, you will already know everything Nestle writes about--and your information will be much more current and applicable. I regret my purchase and my time.

Marion Nestle's latest book "What to Eat" gives a comprehensive look at almost every food available in today's supermarkets. She goes aisle by aisle giving you information on how to look past marketing ploys and decide what foods you should really be feeding your family. Here are a few questions answered in this book: - Is organic worth it? - What's the difference between conventional, natural and organic meats? - Is it better to eat farm-raised fish, wild-caught - or any fish at all? - What's the problem with partially hydrogenated oils and transfats? - How can foods with hydrogenated oils have no transfats? She also addresses: - food safety - supplements - additives and preservatives - nutrients added to junk foods - frozen and fresh foods - portion sizes, labeling, and nutrition claims I highly recommend this book as it will give you a lot of insight into how foods are marketed, how food companies make their money, and how to read nutrition labels. I originally checked this out from the library - but after I was about a third of the way through, I bought my own copy. I know I will refer to this often.

Serene and inviting with its row after row of inviting and tasty foods, the modern grocery store is the pinnacle of the marketer art and food manipulators science. Most items are designed to simultaneous appeal to your desires and pray upon your fears. Food companies and grocery stores goal is to get you to buy ever more and more food regardless of whether you really need all that food. In fact the limits of our actual calorie needs are viewed as obstacles to be overcome. Ms. Nestle helps us run the gauntlet of our local grocery store. She helps us see through the marketers hype and decode the labels and claims to find what is actually in that box we hold in our hands and determine if it will promote our health or undermine it. What to Eat is a great book for anybody looking to escape from the standard American Diet of over processed food that is ruining our health, the health of this country, and due to our exporting of this diet the health of peoples around the world.

I found this book to provide an in-depth perspective on the food industry's involvement in consumer food decision-making. It also de-mystifies the often-conflicting and certainly varied messages that the industry floods the market regarding the nutritional value of many foods. What to believe? Who to believe? The author gives us choices in making our food choices. The government's role in the private sector food trade associations is alarming. From my experience as a public health bureaucrat, I would caution the reader to pay attention to the author's telling of the public/private sector's relationship, but dig deeper to get a more nuanced perspective. Nothing in government or big industry is as simple as she might make it out to be in coming to her conclusions. This book is an important read for consumers who care about the food they eat and the industries that seek to influence our choices.

Everyone should read this book at least once. After reading it for a class, I bought it as a gift for several family members. I am a much smarter grocery shopper and am eating better because of it.

This is an excellent source of down-to-earth information on the realities and deceptions of the US food industry. We have no reason to believe that the European food industry has a different attitude to the conflict of interest that exists between its own profit margins and the welfare of its customers. Where conflict arises, the customer comes a poor second. Read it and eat much less, and much more carefully.

Livro técnico, descritivo, ultra detalhista, chato para leigos. Excelente autora, confiável. Tema atual, interessantíssimo.

I really love this book!! It is easy to understand. We should all read this book for our health.

I ordered this as it came up I. A Amazon search for lactose free. What to eat. Thought great just what I need. The book appears to have been written by a scientist. It goes in to food the soil condition and all the science behind each item. All I was looking for was a product list for lactose free. Went to return the book for a refund and Amazon said “ no need to return well refund you. “ I would not recommend this book. Unless your a Geek.